George Hollingbery was appearing on BBC Newsnight when he made the intervention about his former boss. His comments came on the evening Mrs May announced plans to step down as Prime Minister following a turbulent few months of attempting to implement Brexit. The Prime Minister announced her departure would be on June 7 during an emotional address on the steps of Downing Street.

Now Mrs May’s former aide George Hollingbery MP has revealed the precise moments he believes she cracked under the pressure of office.

He told the BBC’s Emily Maitlis: “Theresa is an entirely normal human being.

“And under great pressure and its certain moments, the emotions come to the fore.

“The sort of role she has undertaken for last three years – the pressure has just been extraordinary.

“And there are moments where it has reached her – that can be no surprise.”

Presenter Ms Maitlis pressed the MP for Meon Valley on what those “certain moments” were.

He replied: “I was talking to one of her closest staff who said, ‘normally it is when she is getting to a point about making a decision’- that is the most difficult time for her – when she is trying to balance very, very difficult issues – some of the really, really high pressured moments.

“She copes extremely well once she has made the decision.”

“Today she was saying goodbye to a job she has wanted to do all her life and unsurprisingly there was a moment where it just overwhelmed her.”

During her speech to the world on Friday Mrs May appeared overcome with emotion as her voice cracked as she appeared to break down in tears.

Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, the beleaguered Prime Minister said she had done “everything I can” to gain support for her Brexit deal, but said it is now in the “best interests of the country for a new Prime Minister to lead that effort”.

She said: “So I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday 7th June so that a successor can be chosen.

“I have striven to make the UK a country that works not just for a privileged few but for everyone and to honour the result of the EU referendum.”